Chapter 867 - 862: 5 Elements Dao Secrets
[Human World].
The Duality of Life and Death Profound Light churned violently, transforming into Boundless radiance that was surreal and dreamlike. Then, it abruptly exploded, revealing two towering figures stepping out from within.
"Daoist, you may speak now."
Amidst the billowing smoke, Ang Xiao looked calmly at Lü Yang, though inwardly, he constantly deduced the identity of the person before him, his mind swirling with countless guesses. He wondered, "Could it possibly be Fortune? Or perhaps it’s a Daoist I consumed in the past? That shouldn’t be it either. I’ve never told any Daoist about my reversal of the Earth of Chen."
On the other hand, Lü Yang had no intention of answering Ang Xiao at all. As a Saint Sect True Monarch, he well understood the principle that the best lies were wrapped in truth. Against a crafty old fox like Ang Xiao, a clumsy lie had too high a chance of being exposed. It was better to say nothing and let the man guess for himself.
Thus, he changed the subject and chuckled, "There is something I have been curious about for a long time. The Five Elements Fruit Position you constructed with the Earth of Chen are actually mismatched. How exactly did you achieve Five Elements Perfection?"
Ang Xiao’s Five Elements Fruit Position combination was as follows: Fruit of Great-Forest Wood, Fruit of Sand-Within Earth, Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, Fruit of Long-Flow Water, and Fruit of Pewter Metal. According to Lü Yang’s hypothesis, this setup should start with the Fruit of Long-Flow Water. After all, the Profound Mysterious imagery of this Fruit Position was the source of the Boundless.
Lü Yang explained, as familiar with the concepts as the back of his hand:
"Starting with water as the source, water generates wood. Therefore, the long-flowing water never dries up, perfectly nourishing the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood, which acts as the Wood Element Supreme Venerable. One could say this is an exceptionally high-quality Fruit Position ratio.
"However, in the next step, wood generating fire becomes problematic. The Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire is a Golden Cup Light, yet you use the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood to generate it. That is quite a waste of its potential. In short, the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire cannot handle it.
"Of course, it could work if forced, since the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire uses wood as its wick. So, we can set this step aside for now. Moving on, fire generates earth. This step is equally problematic, because the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth favors the Sun, and only the Fruit of Celestial Fire is considered precious to it. The flames of the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire are too weak; rashly combining them will only lead to a premature death from exhausted lifespan.
"Naturally, you have the Fruit of Long-Flow Water to assist, adding fuel to the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire to bolster its flames, which barely solves this issue. However, the Fruit of Long-Flow Water is false fuel, incomparable to the Fruit of Gully-Rill Water or the Fruit of Spring Water. The hidden danger remains; it’s simply within an acceptable range."
As Lü Yang spoke, Heaven and Earth had already manifested anomalous phenomena. He didn’t do this intentionally; it was purely a natural resonance born from the Human World, simply because what he described were Dao secrets that countless Lower Cultivators desperately sought but could never obtain! Boundless radiance surfaced in succession, then collapsed into a single mass.
However, Lü Yang paid it no mind and continued:
"Next is earth generating gold. This is another good match. The Fruit of Pewter Metal favors being generated by earth, yet it dreads earth being too heavy and burying the gold. As it happens, the earth energy of the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth is as faint as sand.
"Going one step further, gold generates water. There is no issue with this pairing either. The Fruit of Pewter Metal is gentle in nature, and the Fruit of Long-Flow Water favors smoothness. Gentle gold generating graceful water is likewise a relatively Upper Grade combination."
Ang Xiao patiently listened to Lü Yang’s explanation before giving a light chuckle. "From what you have said, Daoist, although my combination has its flaws, it is still passable. In the end, it can complete the cycle, can it not?"
Lü Yang nodded and said:
"True... but that is the perspective of a layman. Those who think this way only notice the cycle of the Five Elements ratios, ignoring the fact that the only Fruit you truly control is actually the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood. Therefore, the other four Fruits absolutely must not conflict with the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood!
"The Fruit of Long-Flow Water, Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, and Fruit of Pewter Metal are barely justifiable. Even if they offer no benefit, they won’t clash and can still coexist. But the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth cannot! Its earth energy is feeble and weak, fundamentally incapable of bearing a Wood Element Supreme Venerable like the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood. How can wood flourish without earth?
"In a word: For a Golden Core, extract the Five Elements to refine. One becomes the Pill Furnace, and four become Elixir Materials. The Pill Furnace forms the foundation; the rest must match. Elixir Materials provide auxiliary support, completing the cycle."
RUMBLE!
The very instant Lü Yang spoke those final eighteen words, the radiant anomalies generated in response by the Human World reached their Extreme, lingering for a long time. If what Lü Yang spoke of earlier were merely the Dao secrets of an Ordinary Golden Core, then these eighteen words went a step further. They were supreme Dao secrets that only needed to be mastered when striving for the Nascent Soul, absolutely beyond the knowledge of a Lower Cultivator!
To this day, an unknown number of Perfected Lords practicing the Pocket World Technique had died due to Fruit Position matching. Yet, the number of Perfected Lords who died at this specific step was exceptionally small. The reason was simple: those capable of dying at this stage were, without exception, Great Perfected Lords at the Late Stage of Golden Core. And throughout history, just how many Great Perfected Lords were there?
Even Lü Yang had known nothing of this beforehand. If he hadn’t read extensively through the Fruit Position Books within the Nourishing Life Master while having activated the Supreme Dao Transformation in his Previous Life, he wouldn’t have grasped this point either.
That was why he was so curious. Ang Xiao had obviously violated the principles of this eighteen-word Dao secret, yet he had still accomplished Five Elements Perfection without any issues arising.
"This is exactly what this junior cannot figure out," Lü Yang said, a look of curiosity surfacing in his eyes as he smiled. "Senior, your learning spans the realm of a Celestial Being, and you are proficient in countless Dao secrets. I wonder if you could clear up my confusion?"
Before his voice even faded, Ang Xiao had already narrowed his eyes. He thought, "This person is not easy to fool."
His Five Elements combination had been exposed at the Earth of Chen. After he caused a massive uproar in the Pure Land and seized the Fruit of Pewter Metal and the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth, his cards were already laid on the table. However, people with insufficient Cultivation wouldn’t make much of it even if they knew; it was difficult for them to glean anything from his Five Elements combination. At most, they might feel something was slightly off. Yet, Lü Yang had seen right through it. Based on this level of Cultivation alone, Ang Xiao couldn’t just give any random answer, because it would be too hard to bluff his way through.
For a moment, silence descended upon the atmosphere. Ang Xiao’s brows furrowed deeply. Since he had to tell the truth, this information became his bargaining chip, and he was naturally unwilling to give it away for nothing. So, he simply stared at Lü Yang. His unspoken implication was simple: What benefits can you offer me? You couldn’t possibly be thinking of getting this for free, right? That would show no sincerity at all.
"I can assist you, Senior, in killing Fortune." Lü Yang presented his bargaining chip. "As long as you cooperate slightly, Senior, I guarantee his soul will scatter, completely eradicating the hidden danger in your Five Elements Perfection."
"Alright." Ang Xiao nodded and said, "Then how about we discuss this matter after you, Daoist, have killed Fortune, and the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire no longer has its old master?"
Tch! What an old fox who won’t act without a guaranteed payoff!
After a moment of silence, Lü Yang nodded slightly. "Then I will come discuss this with you, Senior, after I have captured Fortune. Let’s consider this meeting a preliminary introduction."
"Then I will quietly await your news, Daoist." Ang Xiao smiled. Then, his figure flashed, and he took the initiative to leave the Human World. It was clear that this visit was mostly just to test Lü Yang.
However, the same was true for Lü Yang. After all, he had just made a substantial gain and was in need of time to consolidate his harvest. Therefore, he didn’t plan on immediately partnering with Ang Xiao to stir up trouble.
The next second, he returned to the Profound Spirit Realm.
Upon arriving at the Celestial Court, the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm immediately came out to welcome him. He then insisted on finding a Quiet Chamber for Lü Yang, which Lü Yang simply accepted.
He decided, "Next up, secluded cultivation!"
With the Cultivation of the Five Elements complete, the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder should also reach Perfection!